Career
Murphy was cited for his study of the causes of growing income inequality between white-collar and blue-collar workers in the United States and his research linking the growth in income inequality to growth in the demand for skilled labor. His other research has covered such topics as economic growth, income inequality, valuing medical research, rational addiction, and unemployment. Murphy has authored over 50 published articles on a variety of topics including a cost–benefit analysis of the war in Iraq.
On September 20, 2005, he was named as one of the 2005 recipients of the MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as the "genius grant."
Education: Bachelor of Arts (economics, Phi Beta Kappa), University of California, Los Angeles, 1981.
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Chicago, 1986 (thesis: Specialization and Human Capital).
